UFC, Conor McGregor respond to banned drug report during recovery

Conor McGregor and the UFC have pushed back on a report that the former two-division champion used prohibited substances while recovering from his broken leg.

The New York Times reported last week that McGregor sought an exemption from USADA in 2021 for drugs banned under the organization's anti-doping policy following the gruesome injury he sustained at UFC 264. McGregor's surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, reportedly supported the request, but USADA denied it. McGregor then removed himself from the testing pool to focus on recovery before re-entering when he prepared to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303.

McGregor questions timing of disclosure

Speaking to Yahoo Sports, McGregor said he was stunned that his private medical situation became public five years later. "Shocking! A man's private medical, from the most devastating injury that you'll see in combat sports," he said, per MMA Fighting. "You have an injury like that, you're not going to walk again! The objective should be to get that athlete back on his feet." McGregor added that he does not know which substances he took and was concerned only with walking again. "I have children to raise and play with. That's what's at stake here," he said. "I took myself out of the pool, listened to my doctors, didn't ask questions."

The UFC released a statement shortly before McGregor's interview, calling any suggestion that the promotion ended its USADA partnership because of McGregor "categorically false." According to the statement, internal records show talks about leaving USADA began months before discussions involving McGregor. The organization also noted that McGregor has been tested 19 times over the past two years, including 12 times in 2026, making him the most tested athlete in that span.

McGregor has never failed a UFC drug test but received an 18-month suspension last October for repeated whereabouts violations. The suspension was backdated to September 2024 and ended in March. He is scheduled to rematch Max Holloway in the UFC 329 main event on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — UFC, Conor McGregor react to ‘shocking’ report of McGregor taking ‘banned drugs’ during his injury recovery | MMA Fighting